Let us catch our breath

I know that humans are more important than rocks as stated in God’s doctrine… that is what we were told in the Holy Quran: “They ask you about the sacred month - about fighting therein. Say, "Fighting therein is great [sin], but averting [people] from the way of Allah and disbelief in Him and [preventing access to] al-Masjid al-Haram and the expulsion of its people therefrom are greater [evil] in the sight of Allah. And fitnah is greater than killing“, verse 217 of al-Baqara Chapter.

Therefore, I am one of those who believe that the Zionist crime taking place right now in threatening Al-Aqsa mosque, changing its nature, or working to knock it down is not only targeted at Al-Aqsa mosque… in my opinion, thinking in this way helps the Zionists complete their full crime against the Palestinian people and against all the human legacy opposing racism, aggression, and occupation.

Now, one definitely wonders: why has the Zionist state taken this step of targeting Al-Aqsa mosque in this timing in specific when the public image of currents of political Islam started to fade and falsehood of their ideology unfolded… including those who claimed to represent enlightened political Islam… also when an international, regional, and Arab cooperation began to stand against the Islamist terrorism and fight it as we see right now?

Why in this timing in specific has the Zionist state fueled this issue in particular that leads to reviving the Islamist argument saying that Al-Aqsa mosque – first Qibla to which Muslims used to turn at prayers, second holiest mosque, and place where Prophet Muhammed, peace be upon him, set off on his Night Journey of Isra and Mi’raj – is in danger?

I believe the answer is clear… we can start by saying that the Zionist state was not away from the establishment and reinforcing of that current so that the Arab nation and countries can fall into the mire of sectarian, doctrinal, and religious strife or Fitna… such a gloomy and deep mire where nations and peoples before fell into and kept fighting for hundreds of years until they wasted their energy and squandered their resources as known from history.

We can also relate this to what those Islamist terrorist groups became after the strikes they received in Egypt on the hands of the Egyptian army and police and due to the vigilance of its people… or in other Arab countries that stood alone or through international coalitions against this terrorism… and so a rescue scheme had to be drawn up for those groups so that they can remarket their ideology once again under the pretext saying: stop targeting the Islamic groups and go fight the Zionist state that does what it does to the holy Aqsa.

The answer could also be that the Zionist state means to embarrass Egypt in specific and put its regime and government in a difficult situation as what would be said and publicized for politically and in media is that the regime in Egypt has to take a decisive practical stance against the Israeli actions and must not just condemn them or call for restraint… and of course this practical stance requires giving the chance for the terrorist groups in Sinai to do what they can against the Zionist state… and that the Egyptian government should not only postpone any disagreement with the Islamist group Hamas, but also support it in every possible way including supplying it with arms so that it can take action against the Zionists and, in doing so, reduce the pressure over Al-Aqsa mosque.

There could be other more accurate interpretations than what I go for… but what I want to say here is that we – as civil powers in the Egyptian street in specific and the Arab one in general – should once again handle the conflict as it should be; a conflict between the right of independence and liberation against aggression and occupation… a conflict between the will of people seeking development and welfare and rejecting violence and war… against an aggressive colonial racist settlement movement which managed through aggression to occupy lands that do not belong to it and to seek support from its international colonial back in order to practice more aggression and keep flouting the humanitarian norms, international laws, and tens of resolutions of the United Nations (UN) and international organizations.

We have to catch our breath after being exhausted in engaging with political Islam currents and terrorist criminals… we were also consumed out of discussing issues it is time now to put an end to and take lessons from… atop of these issues is the political movement in Egypt since the 1919 revolution to July, 1952 revolution… and from July, 1952 to January, 2011 revolution… as going into arguments over disputed matters will do no good and will only increase the gap between constituents of the Egyptian mentality.

After catching our breath and having a careful look over the region’s map, we will find that the Zionist aggression is getting stronger… it has also found support in the mire of sectarian, doctrinal, and religious conflict we fell into… such support made the Zionist enemy stronger and allowed it to do whatever it wants, whenever it wants, however it wants fearing no Islamic or Arab reaction.

I believe we should relate what is happening to Al-Aqsa mosque to the essence upon which the Arab-Zionist conflict is based; a conflict between national liberation and racist settlement colonialism… including the intention of that colonialism to eradicate the cultural and civilization fundamental constituents of the country it occupies… since this conflict was and shall not be religious or doctrinal in any way.

Translated into English by: Dalia Elnaggar

This article was published in Almasry alyoum newspaper on July 26, 2017.

To see the original article, go to:

http://ahmadelgammal.blogspot.com.eg/2017/07/blog-post_25.html

#almasry_alyoum #ahmed_elgammal #alaqsa_mosque #political_islam #Palestine #Israel #occupation #colonialism #Egypt #history

Breaking vicious circle

Now what?!... What after we revealed the ideological and Fiqhi roots of that political current that raises Quran above the spears of social, economic and political conflict taking place in Egypt and the region[1]… also, in a way or another taking place in our modern world?!

What after those masses in millions moved to correct the historical course of change movement in Egypt after muslim brotherhood – backbone of that current – managed to jump to power and we were lucky enough that they made tragic mistakes and sins that were one of the reasons behind that massive public revolt?

What after most people discovered the fake claim of muslim brotherhood and salafists of representing true religion and that their slogan “Islam is the solution for all big and small problems” was immediately proven fraud?

Then what after Egypt have found a strong Arab backing from true brother Arab countries appalled by the tragic destiny our Egypt was about to fall into… realizing that if that happened, they will be next in turn… moreover, indications turned to be stark facts after exposing muslim brotherhood inactive cells in the UAE, Saudi Arabia and other countries?

Also, what after there has been a change in both the American and European stances and it seems they started to understand that what happened in Egypt was a real public revolution against the rule of muslim brotherhood and their alliance… and that the Egyptian army along with its leadership responded to the will of the people… and it was not a coup by all means?

Finally, what shall we do after the intermittent period is about to come to an end… and all political powers away from the current of political Islam have now the chance to practice their activities without major obstacles?!

There are many questions we shall take into consideration… but the first thing we should care about is how to make achievements on all national levels… first level of those in my opinion is how to prevent our country from falling into the mire of religious extremism that halts any progress on any level… it is a thing known by other nations through long ages of time in their history.

The government, Egyptian army and police in Egypt will not be able alone to stand against the phenomenon that we witnessed consecutive phases of which through our lives as individuals… as some of us were aware of this phenomenon since the forties of the twentieth century to our present time… and some others – including me – was aware of it since the fifties until now!

We lived this time when this phenomenon was at its peak… when it spread and its followers kept bawling “Quran is our constitution”… “Prophet is our leader”… “Dying in fighting in the way of Allah is the best we wish”… then we lived the days when it dwindled and its publicity waned and people started to go away form it since it turned to be a disgrace everyone tries to get rid of it… then it was destined for us to live its new born when such current made a reconciliation with the ruler and came back to lights…

By time, they looked as if they are everywhere and their followers are too many to count… in the same time, we noticed those who grew their beards and shove their moustaches… some of them were wearing a white turban with a long sheet of it draping over their backs… they had their own mosques and were called by the public as Sunni people… we also heard them questioning the faith and Islam of others, especially those who go to Mawaled, ask for blessings from the shrines of Al Al-Bait or family of prophet Muhammed, give interpretations for the Quran texts and believe in Prophet Muhammed Shafa’a or intercession.

We also lived the rising of what was called the Islamic groups or Gama’at… and lived day by day its expansion in the universities, its conferences and meetings… the first of those meetings was the first Islamic meeting in Ain Shams University held under the auspices of Ahmed Kamal Abol-Magd as a counteract to Nasser thought meeting that was held a year ago in 1971 in commemoration of Gamal Abdel-Nasser… I was one of those who came up with the idea of Nasser meeting and planned for it… we also went on holding it until after the mid-seventies.

We suffered the same thing our nation suffered when those groups or Gama’at adopted the bloody violence that first started during the confrontations in the universities between Nasserite and Marxist students and between students belonging to those Gama’at… entities in the state and certain officials were in charge of funding and arming those Islamic Gama’at… and so they started by iron chains and penknives and ended by assassinating the first man in Egypt; the president of the republic Anwar Sadat who was the first to summon those demons but did not know how to dismiss them.

Then came October, 1981 and what followed until this phenomenon of violent Islamization lessened… but the phenomenon of muslim brotherhood was started to grow until they managed to be in partnership with the ruling regime occupying almost 90 seats in the parliament… we all know what happened next until January 25^th, 2011 and June 30^th, 2013.

How then can we break out of this vicious circle or cut this zigzag line fluctuating between rising ups and falling downs… and both of them; the circle and line, represent the rising and falling or strength or dismantle of the phenomenon of extremist political Islam that proved to be destructive to life itself?

How can we keep our country’s history, heritage, religions, conscience and soul… all these aspects admit that religion is a main component of our composition away from those who exploit religion and claim to be sent by God to be guardians on the nation’s beliefs… to the extent that their leader; Muhammed Bade’ia claimed that attacking their gathering in Raba’a is 70 times graver than flattening Kaaba into pieces?

How can we communicate with our folks in Delta, Upper Egypt and outskirts of the valley eastward and westward… to protect each other against those double-faced hypocrites who proved to be nothing but professional killers with no feelings at all?

How… how… unlimited questions we have to answer and hold responsibility for… not only by the government, army and police… but in the first place by everyone who believes he / she has the capacity to react to such dangerous phenomenon…

We shall continue later…

Translated into English by: Dalia Elnaggar

This article was published in Al Ahram newspaper on December 5, 2013.

To see the original article, go to:

http://ahmadelgammal.blogspot.com.eg/2013/12/blog-post_5.html

#alahram #ahmed_elgammal #Egypt #muslim_brotherhood #political_islam #25_January_2011 #30_June_2013

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[1] This depiction used by the writer of “raising Quran above the spears” was taken from the incident that took place when Ali Ibn Abi-Taleb; cousin and son-in-law of prophet Muhammed was in war with Mu’awiya over the rule of the Caliphate. Ali was about to achieve victory over Mu’awiya, however, Amr Ibn el-A’as advised Mu’awiya to raise Quran above the spears as a sign of choosing Quran as the final judgment between them. In return, Amr asked for the rule of Egypt if he could help Mu’awiya overcome Ali. Of course, that was a trick by Ibn el-A’as, by which he manipulated Quran in order to make political gains. It is the same concept here as muslim brotherhood claim to take Quran as their guide and reference while they actually seek political and economic gains.